Variant management is a central component of product development, especially in industries where numerous individual product variants are based on a common platform. It deals with the efficient management of products that are largely identical but vary in specific features. These differences can take the form of equipment options, functions or other individual adaptations based on a common product platform. The aim of variant management is to control and test these differences, known as variant specifics, in a targeted manner. This ensures that each variant has the required quality and functionality. This is necessary in order to guarantee high product quality. Precise coordination is essential in order to control complexity and avoid efficiency losses.
Variant Management
What is variant management?
Efficient testing of system variants
Challenges in testing variant-rich systems
Testing variant-rich systems poses major challenges for many companies. While creating individual product variants on a common platform makes sense, testing these variants can be complex and time-consuming. Variant management requires precise organization and execution of test cases, especially when it comes to adapting test data.
The following problems can occur during variant management:
Redundancies and loss of efficiency: tests for common functionalities often lead to redundant work.
Insufficient test availability: Some variants are not tested in time or not tested at all.
Complex test data management: Each product variant requires specific data, which makes management difficult.
Change detection and tracking: Cross-variant changes are difficult to track.
Test case control: Determining the right number of test cases per product variant is challenging.
Lack of standardization: Without standardized processes, inconsistencies arise.
Efficient testing of system variants
Variant management with TestBench
TestBench offers effective variant management that minimizes testing effort. The system enables low-redundancy testing by creating a basic test object version. This version contains test specifications that apply to all variants of a product line. Individual variant versions are derived from this base version, each of which takes into account the common and specific requirements and tests of a product variant.
How variant testing works
Detailed functions in variant management
In TestBench’s variant management, test specifications are precisely tailored to the respective product variant. The following functions are available:
- Definition of validity: Determine which tests apply to which product variant.
- Adaptation of test sequences: Design test sequences to be variant-dependent.
- Test data management: Define parameters and test data for each product variant.
A variant is derived in two steps. First, the number of tests is adapted to the variants. Variant markers help to assign the respective test elements. Then the test data is specifically adapted using placeholders. These placeholders allow individual values to be defined for each variant.
Creation and management of elements
In the basic test object version, elements can be created and edited and labeled to specify which product variants they are valid for. The “Variant definitions” area displays all variants and their respective test specifications.
Creation of placeholders
The “Placeholders” area allows you to manage placeholders for which specific values are used when deriving a variant. These values are organized in equivalence classes and linked to the variants using a replacement table.
Filling the placeholders with variant-specific values
The Replacement table area establishes the link between variants and placeholders. It allows you to specify a specific value for each placeholder in each variant.
Once placeholders and variant definitions have been defined in variant management, the defined objects can be used in the specification of the basic test object version.
Use of variant markers
A variant marker is available as a special keyword for each variant in the basic test object version. These can be attached to test case sets and test cases to specify that the marked element is only relevant for specific variants.
Use of placeholders
Placeholders can be created in data types instead of normal representatives. They are labelled with a symbol as so-called placeholder representatives, but otherwise behave like normal representatives within the basic test object version.
Example of variant management
An example: The derivation of the “vehicles” and “spaceships” variants shows how effectively TestBench’s variant management works. Test steps that are irrelevant for “spaceships” are removed, which reduces the test effort and increases efficiency.
All advantages at a glance
One-time definition of common test cases
Tests for common functionality only need to be defined once.
Overlap-free tests for variants
The tests for variant-specific functionality can be designed without overlaps.
Centralised availability of all tests in the repository
All tests for all variants in all product versions are centrally available in the TestBench repository at all times.
Individual test data for each product variant
The test data required for a test case can be defined individually for each product variant.
Comprehensive traceability of changes
The effects of changes to requirements or tests can be recognised, analysed and traced across all product variants.
Efficient control of the test case quantity
The number of test cases required for each product variant can be assessed and controlled more precisely, thus avoiding unnecessary testing effort.
Standardised execution and logging
The execution and logging of tests is standardised across all product variants and can be easily coordinated by test management.
Internationalisation and localisation tests
Also ideal for mapping and managing internationalisation and localisation tests! The specifics of a language are clearly managed here as variant-specific test data series.
Your questions - our answers
Do you have questions about variant management or are you looking for support in optimizing your test processes? Our experts will be happy to help you. Contact us and we will help you to design your test strategies efficiently and successfully.